| | 16/May/22
| | New GMOs and pesticide reduction: Fast-track to failure Reducing pesticide use by 50% by 2030 is a central goal of the EU Farm to Fork strategy, which aims to improve the sustainability of the food and farming systems and reverse environmental degradation. The European Commission claims that new genetically modified (GM) plants, especially gene-edited ones, can help achieve that. It is moving ahead with plans to deregulate this new generation of GMOs. A new briefing, written by GMWatch editor Claire Robinson and published by Friends of the Earth Europe, examines the history of first-generation, currently grown GM crops, as well as the new GM crops that are commercialised and in the pipeline. Based on the evidence, new GM crops will not reduce pesticide use. Some are even designed to increase it. GMWatch A "Precision Breeding" Bill to fast-track GMO deregulation in England The UK government has set out plans for further deregulation of GMOs in the Queen’s speech. Prince Charles, who delivered the speech on the Queen’s behalf, said: “My Ministers will encourage agricultural and scientific innovation at home. Legislation will unlock the potential of new technologies to promote sustainable and efficient farming and food production.” The new Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill will use the same inaccurate, imprecise and cynical terminology of the recent Statutory Instrument to exempt a hypothetical subclass of GMOs that: * could have occurred naturally, or * could have been created using traditional breeding. GMWatch The public don’t want deregulation of new GM technologies In response to the UK government's plans to deregulate new GM technologies such as gene editing, GMWatch offers seven reasons why these moves are anti-democratic and unscientific. These include the fact that most people don’t want deregulation of new GM technologies and that voters want transparency, clarity, and safeguards in the face of scientific uncertainty and to exercise their right to choose whether or not to buy and eat genetically modified foods. GMWatch The wrong answer to the wrong question Agroecology, not a GMO-oriented high-tech free-for-all, is the way forward for agriculture, writes Louise Payton, policy officer at the Soil Association. She writes, "We are extremely disappointed that the Government is pushing ahead with proposals to allow unregulated genetic modification of plants, including food crops, in England – and with hopes to do the same for animals." She adds that GM is the wrong answer to the wrong question. GMWatch Argentine government releases GMO herbicide-doused wheat The government of Argentina has released Bioceres's GM HB4 wheat, which is engineered to survive being doused with glufosinate, a herbicide 15 times more toxic than glyphosate. This GM wheat is now heading to the tables of Argentinians, writes author and journalist Patricio Eleisegui. The leaders of this agribusiness sector have been opposing the commercial release of this GM wheat for years because they assume that, once its sowing is extended and the conventional options are contaminated, HB4 will cause the loss of international markets due to the rejection of this type of GMO. The Argentine Federation of the Milling Industry (FAIM) is one of the organisations that completely rejects GMOs. It states that at least 50 countries will stop buying Argentine wheat and the State will lose up to 3.5 billion dollars if the government does not revert the decision. The Chamber of Grain Exporters (CEC) also expressed its dissatisfaction with the government's decision. "This ruling causes an enormous commercial risk since all the countries that buy from us do not accept HB4. The economic consequences of eventual market losses will fall on the Ministry [of Agriculture] and the developer company," the CEC wrote on social media. Both FAIM and CEC anticipated that they will take legal action against the official resolution. Sudestada (Spanish language) Bolivia: Big business stockpiles corn to force GMO importation Bolivia's Minister of Land and Rural Development says there is no shortage of corn in Bolivia but it's being deliberately stockpiled by large producers to create scarcity in support of the use of GMOs. In a press conference, the Minister of Rural Development and Lands, Remmy Gonzales, said, "We are demonstrating that there is no shortage, there is simply stockpiling and speculation by some ill-intentioned people who want to take advantage of the international situation... I would rather (tell) these gentlemen... that once and for all... they should begin to release the grains they have stockpiled in the northern and eastern zones... The grain they have stockpiled from the 2021-2022 summer harvest should begin to be taken out." Ahora El Pueblo (Spanish language) Environmental pesticide exposure alters gut microbes A study published in Environmental Health finds that exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of pesticides can alter gut microbial communities, as demonstrated through faecal samples. Over 300 environmental contaminants and their byproducts, including pesticides, are chemicals commonly present in human blood and urine samples. The study is co-authored by Drs Robin Mesnage and Michael Antoniou. Beyond Pesticides DONATE TO GMWATCH __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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